Lysander man seriously hurt in accident with man who crashed into Pier 57

Frank Ordonez / The Post-StadardClifton Reynolds, the man charged with driving into the Pier 57 restaurant Wednesday, is now accused of causing a crash the next day that injured another driver.Lysander, NY – A Lysander man was airlifted to Upstate University Hospital after the man responsible for crashing into the Pier 57 Restaurant on Wednesday collided with his car on Thursday, the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office said.
Richard Zimmerman, 23, of 8744 Cramer Road, Lysander, was flown to the hospital on the sheriff’s Air-1 helicopter and was in serious condition with multiple injuries early this morning, deputies said. His condition was not available at 6:30 a.m.
The other driver, Clifton Reynolds, 35, of 8406 Gaskin Road, Clay, was in fair condition this morning at the same hospital, a nursing supervisor said.
Deputies said witnesses told them that Reynolds was driving a 2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer at a high speed at the 8400 block of River Road, Lysander, shortly before 9 p.m. His southbound SUV crossed the center line into the northbound lane and collided head-on with Zimmerman’s 2008 Chevrolet Impala, deputies said. Rescue workers had to pull both men from the wreckage, deputies said.
The accident occurred less than 31 hours after a Nissan Pathfinder that Reynolds was driving struck another vehicle, rolled about 100 yards and crashed into the entrance of Pier 57 on Route 57, Liverpool. Reynolds was charged with driving while intoxicated, driving while intoxicated with drugs and several other counts after that accident and taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
“I don’t know if this guy has a death wish, but he’s a menace on the highway,” Sheriff Kevin Walsh said after Thursday’s crash.
Alcohol did not appear to be a factor in the River Road accident, he said.

Deputies said they will charge Reynolds with second-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, imprudent speed, and failure to keep right in the River Road accident.

Reynolds was driving without a valid license at the time of each accident. Walsh said he was told that Reynolds' license had been revoked the day of the Pier 57 incident as the result of another court case. Details were not immediately available.

Walsh said both of the vehicles that Reynolds was driving belonged to the same woman. Speaking from home without records, he said he did not have her name available and did not know her relationship to Reynolds.

None of the charges pending against Reynolds from the Pier 57 incident was serious enough to warrant holding Reynolds in jail pending initial court proceedings, Walsh said. Defendants facing traffic charges often are given appearance tickets telling them to come to court on a specific date instead of being held in jail before their first court date.

“We discussed that last night (after the River Road crash) whether there were any charges at this point that the detectives felt would be enough that we could at least hold him overnight, but the consensus seemed to be that he was probably going to be in the hospital overnight,” Walsh said.

Judges in the cases will decide whether Reynolds should be held and on what bail while the cases are conducted, Walsh said. But bail can’t be used to punish him, Walsh added; it’s purpose is to assure that he will come to court for further proceedings, something that Reynolds has had no problems with, Walsh said.